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By NATHAN HOWELL | Special to the Reporter

HELENA – Since HHS is unable to hold a graduation ceremony for its seniors until this summer at the earliest due to the spread of COVID-19, the city of Helena has placed banners all over town congratulating them on their special achievement.

The signs read “city of Helena Congratulates Helena High School Class of 2020.”

“We teamed up with Pepsi, who is the sponsor for the youth league and high school athletics,” Helena Mayor Mark Hall said. “They provided the signs for free, all I had to do was make a request.”

More than 350 seniors were set to graduate from HHS this year, however due to restrictions and guidelines in place to stop the spread of COVID-19, this year’s seniors will be unable to have a traditional graduation ceremony anytime soon.

“A couple of senior parents had told me that it would be nice to do something like this for the seniors,” Hall explained. “We ended up getting six signs which we placed in different locations including the marquee at the sports complex, and at the Outdoor Amphitheater in Old Town Helena.”

Graduation ceremonies are often a way for an entire community to come together and show love and respect for the young people who have worked so hard for many years to earn an education.

Mayor Hall explained that the pandemic creates a situation where the students can still be recognized with diplomas, but miss out on the in-person affection and congratulations, so reminding them of their importance is vital.

“We just wanted to show them our support and that they are a huge part of our community,” he said. “Hopefully we will be able to get them all together this summer and do something special for them once things calm down.”